Maintenance Guide: BMW’s Matte Paint

BMW started a project in 2006 to make automobiles with a matte paint. Dubbed “Frozen colors”, matte clear-coat finish used creates velvety surfaces with a …

BMW started a project in 2006 to make automobiles with a matte paint. Dubbed “Frozen colors”, matte clear-coat finish used creates velvety surfaces with a high-quality look and a pleasant touch while enhancing the design lines of a BMW.

BMW says that it took three years to develop this new surface technology, which uses silicates in a clear-coat finish as a matting agent. It was a complex process since the paint had to be fully suitable for everyday use. What is more resilience to chemicals and abrasion are required for serial production. The matte finish must not develop a shine over the course of time, and has to be able to cope with passing through a car wash, too.

To protect the customers and in the end the company itself, BMW revealed over time several maintenance guides and videos on the matte paint.

U.S.-based blog KickingTires digs deeper into the process of maintaining and preserving your frozen paint, and offers some great advice.

The paint is never shiny like a traditional finish, so it’s hard to tell when the car is dirty. It’s glorious because BMW’s frozen paints could be the lowest-maintenance paint ever since they look clean even when filthy. But how often should owners wash it? What about wax, polish or sealants to protect the pricey finish?

The paint doesn’t need as much maintenance as regular paint because BMW’s first warning cautions that waxes and polishes can damage the paint by giving unwanted shine to the desired dull luster. Ruh-roh. Buffing with a machine or the wrong product can create shiny spots and uneven surfaces. Nothing even mildly abrasive is recommend on frozen colors, either, so glazes, compounds and quick detailers are also out.

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Hand washing is the preferred method for washing BMW’s frozen colors. The most important part of maintaining a frozen color is keeping the surface free of contaminants…